License Plate Lookup in Missouri
A Missouri license plate lookup is a process of searching for information about a vehicle by entering the license plate number in a license plate search tool. A license plate lookup provides specific information about a vehicle, such as a vehicle's current owner and their Missouri traffic records, date of last renewal, vehicle identification number (VIN), history of the vehicle, odometer readings, and any associated lien. It is useful when purchasing a pre-owned car as it provides some features of the vehicle and its history.
The Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) regulates and administers the issuance of vehicle license plates through motor license offices in all the counties and cities in the state. Any interested person can look up a license plate in Missouri. The Missouri Motor Vehicle Code registers and issues license plates in the state.
There are other free license plate lookup services and websites in the state to get basic information about a vehicle. A paid lookup tool gives more detailed information, such as the driver's criminal history and the vehicle's accident history. In contrast, free license plate lookup tools only provide basic information about the vehicle.
What is a Missouri License Plate?
A Missouri license plate is an aluminum plate tag showing the registration numbers and characters assigned to a vehicle. The Department of Revenue issues license plates to vehicle owners. The Jefferson City Correctional Center manufactures license plates in Missouri. The license plates bear the name or abbreviated name of the state and the slogan "SHOW-ME STATE". Standard license plates have a color-coded expiration year tab affixed to them. A new bicentennial plate design to celebrate the state's 200 years of statehood in 2021 became available from January 1, 2019. The License plates are encoded with the expiration month of the registration. The first letter in the series specifies the month as follows:
- January - A, B
- February - C
- March - D, E
- April - F, G
- May - H, J
- June - K, L
- July - M, N
- August - P, R
- September - S, T
- October - U, V
- November - W, X
- December - Y, Z
If all available combinations with the first letter are exhausted, the second letter may be used.
The Missouri Motor Vehicle Code establishes that the license plate stays with the vehicle owner and can be transferred to another registered vehicle by the owner. If a vehicle owner sells their vehicle, the license plate remains with the original owner and can be transferred to another vehicle acquired by the owner. Hence, the vehicle owner may transfer a license plate without transferring ownership of the first vehicle. However, the first vehicle registration from which the license plate was transferred expires once the transfer is made. Missouri is a two-license plate state. Two license plates are required to be displayed on most vehicles (affixed to the front and rear), with a few exceptions. The exceptions include motorcycles, trailers, motor-tricycles, autocycles, and scooters that must have one license plate fixed to the vehicle's rear. The plates on buses, trucks, tractors, or truck-tractors above 12,000 pounds can only be affixed to the vehicle's front. License plates are compulsory for all vehicles in Missouri. License plates must be visible at all times.
The different categories of license plates in the state are as follows:
- Standard license plates
- Specialty or personalized license plates
- Historic license plates
- Disabled license plates
- Military license plates
Specialty, military, or personalized license plates attract an additional $15, while the personalized historic license plates cost $43.75 more.
How Do I Get a License Plate in Missouri?
A vehicle owner can obtain a Missouri license plate from license offices under the Missouri Department of Revenue. The vehicle owner is required to go to the office with the following:
- The Vehicle's Certificate of Title or a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) for vehicles purchased from a new-car dealer. A vehicle must be titled within 30 days of purchase.
- A signed Application for Missouri Title and License (Form 108).
- Receipt of personal property tax or a statement of non-assessment from the county of residence for the previous year.
- A safety inspection that is not more than 60 days old.
- A current insurance identification card or any other proof of financial responsibility.
- An emissions inspection within 60 days for residents of Saint Louis City or Franklin, Saint Charles, Jefferson, or Saint Louis Counties.
- Separate proof of Identification Number/Odometer Reading Inspection (ID/OD) may be required if the title was issued from another state or country.
The following fees are applicable:
- $8.50 title fee.
- Sales tax of 4.225% on the purchase price in addition to the local sales tax.
- License plate fees based on either vehicle weight or taxable horsepower. It ranges from a passenger vehicle under 12 HP paying $18.25 to one or 72 HP paying $51.25.
- Title processing fee of $6.
- Registration processing fee of $6 for a one-year registration and $12 for a two-years registration.
Payments can be made by cash, money order, cashier's check, personal check, and debit or credit cards. Discover, VISA, American Express, and Master Cards are acceptable credit/debit cards. Personal checks must be written in favor of the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Passenger License Plates vs Commercial License Plates
Passenger license plates are the regular license plates issued to residents for personal use. In contrast, commercial license plates are issued to vehicles for commercial purposes, such as buses, taxis, and commercial trailers. In Missouri, Commercial license plates are given to the following vehicles:
- A vehicle with a weight of over 10,000 pounds for interstate commerce or 26,000 pounds for intrastate commerce
- A vehicle used or designed to transport nine or more passengers, including the driver
- A vehicle used to transport hazardous materials in a quantity that requires placard notification
While passenger license plates are the vehicle owner's property, commercial license plates cannot be transferred to other vehicles and must be returned. Special characters are reserved for commercial license plate numbers depending on the type of business; for instance, "F" must be added to a commercial vehicle that transports farm produce.
The Department of Revenue issues the license plate and requires the same documents as passenger license plates with the addition of the name, registration, and type of business. The registration fees for commercial license plates also differ. The registration fees for passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles are as follows:
- 1-10 passengers - $100.50
- 11-18 passengers - $180.50
- 19 - 25 passengers - $ 250.50
- 26 - 29 passengers - $290.50
- 30 - 33 passengers - $330.50
- 34 - 37 passengers - $370.50
- 38 - 41 passengers - $410.50
- 42 - 45 passengers - $450.50
How Can I Find the Owner of a License Plate in Missouri
The Missouri Drivers Privacy and Protection Act prohibits the disclosure of personal information from the motor vehicle record unless as permitted by law. The license plate lookup request can be made in person at any motor licensing office in the state or online via the department's website. An interested third party applying to know the owner of a license plate must show proof of identity and pay a specified fee ($2.82 driver record, $0.50 fax fee, and $2 office processing fee).
Third-party businesses or websites can provide the license plate lookup service free of charge or for a fee. The information obtained from the lookup can be used to find the vehicle owner through a phone number lookup or by searching Vehicle service records in Missouri.
Third-party aggregate sites are a reliable alternative for obtaining license plate information. These sites are maintained by independent establishments which collate the information from government-run repositories. Obtaining records from these sites often proves substantially easier than government alternatives. However, requestors may be required to provide any information required to facilitate the record search and pay any required fees to access the record of interest.
Missouri License Plate Renewal
License plate renewal is handled by the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR). A vehicle owner can renew a license plate during the month of expiration or up to six months prior. There are four ways of renewing Missouri license plates. The four renewal options are:
- In-person: License plate can be renewed in any of the Missouri license offices.
- Phone-in renewal: Phone-in renewal service is available for some eligible vehicle owners. To ascertain eligibility, a vehicle owner can call (573) 751-1957. The phone-in renewal service is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
- Mail: A vehicle owner may renew via mail by following the vehicle registration notice instructions. The mail address is:
Missouri Department of Revenue
P.O. Box 2046
Jefferson City, MO 65105-2046 - Online: A vehicle owner with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) printed on the vehicle license renewal notice is eligible for online renewal.
You will need the following to renew your license:
- The Vehicle Registration Renewal Notice sent via mail. One can alternatively complete and print a copy of the Application for Motor Vehicle License (Form 184) from the Department of Revenue website.
- A current insurance identification card or any other proof of financial responsibility.
- A Missouri emissions inspection or safety inspection certificate not more than two months old. The inspection is only applicable for vehicles with less than 150,000 miles on the odometer and above ten years from the model year of manufacture.
- The receipt of paid personal property tax or a statement of non-assessment from the county of residence for the previous year (for a one-year registration) or the last two years (for a two-year registration).
- The correct license plate and processing fee. An additional $5 renewal penalty must be paid if the license plates are renewed after expiration.
Even model-year vehicles can obtain two-year registrations in even calendar years and odd model-year vehicles in odd calendar years. It may take up to 14 days to receive the license plate renewal tag. A copy of the vehicle registration receipt can be used as evidence of license plate renewal, valid for 30 days.
Can You Look Up License Plates with VIN?
Yes, you can look up a vehicle's license plate with its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN and the license plate number are linked in the Missouri vehicle registration database. The Department of Revenue provides the means to check the status of a vehicle with the VIN.
VIN Number Lookup
A VIN lookup involves using a VIN search tool to check for information on a vehicle. All registered vehicles in Missouri have a 17-character identifying code that uniquely identifies the vehicle and its manufacturer. The VIN can reveal specific details about the vehicle, such as country of production, airbag types, engine size, plant name, safety recalls, trim level, insurance coverages, and claims. The VIN can be found on the engine block, the dashboard of the driver's side of the vehicle, the doorpost of the driver's side door, or the hood underside.
Can Civilians Lookup License Plates in Missouri?
Yes. Civilians can lookup information on license plates for vehicles in Missouri with license plate search tools available online. However, the level of information available to individuals is limited. Only law enforcement officers have access to detailed license plate information through inter-agency databases.
Civilians interested in doing a license plate lookup in Missouri may also use information service providers. These providers are independent of government agencies and provide license information based on data aggregated from multiple sources. The information obtained from third party sources may not be used to assess credit worthiness, employment background check, or official purposes. Individuals may, however, use the results of Missouri license plate lookup to satisfy their personal curiosity.
What Do Police See When They Run Your Plates in Missouri?
Police officers typically run license plates in traffic stops, especially when there is probable cause. For example, if the driver had been speeding or found to be driving under the influence. The tools the police use for their license plate search are different from what is available to civilians through aggregate sources. Law enforcement officers often use automated license plate readers (ALPRs) that connect to and pull information from agency databases.
The information available to police officers when they run a license plate typically include:
- Vehicle information
- Driving status
- Criminal history
- Outstanding warrants
Law enforcement officers doing the search will see the vehicle information, including the year of manufacture, VIN, license expiration date, and the name of the registered owner. In addition, they will also have access to the driver’s information, including their biodata and physical description, social security number, and contact information. In many cases, an officer may also access the driver’s criminal history as well as tickets and outstanding warrants on the vehicle, its registered owner, or the driver.
While the public may not have access to the databases law enforcement officers use for license plate lookup, a lot of the information they get are publicly available through other sources. One major difference is that civilian searchers may have to use multiple sources to pool the information. Furthermore, sensitive information like the driver’s social security number and house address may be sequestered from public knowledge.
Free License Plate Lookup in Missouri
Interested persons may use service provided by third-party aggregate sites to lookup license plates in Missouri. Aggregate websites that provide license plate lookup services typically charge a fee for the service. However, there are free options available to persons interested in looking up a Missouri plate.
Most people use search engines to conduct a free license plate lookup. Entering the license plate number directly in the search bar may provide information already available on the web regarding that plate. However, there is no guarantee that the search results will be useful. Alternatively, an interested person may search for “free license plate search” on the search engine instead. The search results will provide a list of third party websites that provide license plate lookup for free. Many of these free sites, however, limit the information available for free searches.
How to Search for Ticket by License Plate in Missouri
Missouri drivers looking for lost or unpaid traffic tickets may contact the municipal court or county court in the location where the ticket was issued. Concerned persons may also use the Missouri Judiciary search tool to find unresolved tickets and make payments. The portal only supports searches by name, traffic citation number. However, it may be possible to find unpaid tickets by doing license plate searches on independent websites.
